Process of producing printing-forms.



A. L. SALTZMAN. mocsss or PRODUCING PRINTING roams. APPLIOATIOH FILED MAY 31, 1906. RENEWED JULY 28, 1010. 1,098,921, I Patented June 2,1914.

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On the first day of August, in the ye rlf w J/ 1879, I began studying for Witnesses:

A. L. SALTZMAN.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING PRINTING FORMS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 31, 1906. RENEWED JULY 28, 1910. 1,098,921 Patented June 2,1914.

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On the first day of August, in the year 1879, I began studying for Witnesses: 172067?? ggawm 5 Fa, m

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COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 60 \vAsmNn'ruN. u. c.

llliilll TATES FATE AUGUSTE L. SALTZMAN, 0]? EAST GRANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NOR T0 AMERICAN PLANQGRAPI-I COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ZPROCESS 0F PRODUCING PRINTING-FORMS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June fit, fill-f. and this application filed. May 31,

1908, Serial No. 319,474. Renewed July 28, 1919. Serial No. 574,355.

To (ZZZ whom may concern Be it known that l, AuGUs'rn L. SALTZ- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Printing-Forms, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the printing art and more es wcially to processes for producing printing forms or printing surfaces.

The objects of the invention will be in partobvious from, and will be in part specifically set forth in, the description and claims.

The invention consists in the novel steps, processes, combinations and articles herein set forth.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 203,714- filed by me April 18, 1964.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and forming a parthereof, illustrate one manner of carrying out certain steps comprised in the process covered by the invention.

Uf the drawings: Figure 1 shows a relief form; Fig. 2 illustrates the taking of a proof from such a form; Fig. 3 illustrates a proof impression to be used in revising the form; shows a galley containing the revised matter; Fig. 5 shows the inking of a line of matter; Fig. (3 shows an impression being taken from a line of types upon an impres' SieirreceiVing surface; Fig. 7 shows the impression-receiving surface after having received impression from a plurality of lines; Fig. 8 represents the transfer of matter from the impression-receiving surface to a plate in the making of a planographic plate; Fig. 9 represents the inking of a planographic printing plate; Fig. 10 represents the taking of an impression therefrom; and Fig. 11

represents an impression taken from the said plate.

As set forth in my said application Ser. No. 203,714, hereinabove mentioned, it is desirable to prepare composed matter in a form suitable for printing planographically, although as further stated in the said application the invention, in many of its features, is not limited to preparing planographic printing plates. In the accompanying drawings, certain steps of the method are illustrated as being carried out in connection with line bar units, although the method may be employed either with line bars or lines of types, as further set forth in the said application.

By the method set forth herein and in my said prior application, of which this is a division, relief composition units are composed, assembled into a form, and while as sembled in the form all corrections and changes of whatever nature are made in the composed matter, and the matter properly relatirely arranged in the desired final form for securing a printing surface of suitable character, such as a stereotype plate, an elec trotype plate, or 'a planographlc plate, or other suitable plate or printing surface. While so assembled in the form, proof impressions may be taken to assist in eliminating errors or in determining upon and indieating other changes to be made, and this is contemplated by certain features of the invention. The method contemplates, after the correcting in the composed matter of all errors, together with making other changes to bring it into the desired final form, as just indicated, the taking of impressions a line at a time upon an impres sion-receiving surface which may be a final. printing plate, but is more generally a surface used in obtaining the final printing plate. ()ne feature of the invention contemplates providing for a uniform impression for all parts of a line and for successive lines, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

So far as concerns certain aspects of the invention any suitable impression-receiving surface may be employed, such as a matrixsheet, or a casting material, such as papiermz'ich; in other aspects of the invention, however, an impression-receiving surface adapted for use in securing a planographic printing plate is contemplated, such, for instance, as a transfer sheet or an offset surface. By taking line-by-line series of impressions, uniform impressions from the successive lines of type or line bars, properly arranged upon the impression-receiving surface, are secured without the usual expensive and tedious make-ready with its underlaying or overlaying and without mounting the form of types on a press. As regards certain features of the invention, th final printing surface is also secured without casting or the use of an electrolytic bath.

Certain steps included in the process may be carried out by suitable mechanism, if desired, such for instance as the mechanism shown in my said application Ser. No. 203,714, or by other suitable mechanism, although said steps may also be carried out manually. It is of course immaterial, so far as the method itself is concerned, what mechanisms if any are employed in carrying out certain of the steps comprised in the method and I have accordingly shown herein a difierent mechanism for carrying out the steps of the method which were illustrated in the previous application as being carried out by the form of mechanism disclosed in the said application.

As hereinbefore indicated, the manner of carrying out the steps of the invention illustrated herewith is shown in connection with line bar units, such for instance as the product of the linotype machine, although the method is not limited to any particular kind of composition unit.

Referring to the particular manner of carrying out the process illustrated in the drawings it will be seen generally that bars produced by composing machines are loaded in the order of sequence to form the desired composition represented by the type characters into a magazine 9. Before being loaded into the magazine, however, a proof is first taken from the type bars and all the necessary corrections and changes have been made, so that the product obtained is a finished copy readyfor making into final form as a stereotype or electrotype plate, or for transfer to a planographic surface which may be then suitably prepared for printing planographically. The bars may be arranged in the magazine either in the sequence or order of composition from top to bottom or from bottom to top, it being immaterial whether the first line of the composition occupies the bottom position of the stack or pile of bars in the magazine or whether the first line of the composition be arranged at the top of the stack of bars in the magazine. The proper order or position in either case will appear upon the impression-receiving material by feeding the same either backward or forward with reference to the order of the impressions and the order of arrangement of the bars in the magazine. The impression-receiving surface after having had the matter placed thereon in the desired final form is then either prepared for printing or is subjected to other steps suitable for securing a printing surface, dependent upon the nature of the impression-receiving surface used and also of the kind of printing, surface or printing plate which it is' desired to secure.

The process may be" used'in' connection with types set by hand, types set by typesetting machines, type-casting machines, line-casting machines, or secured in any suitable manner. As hereinbefore indicated, the line bar has been chosen to be illustrated herein, as in my said prior application, in connection with the various steps of the method shown in the drawings. Such line bars are composed and are then assembled into a temporary form, as by arrangement in proper order in a chase 1. They may be secured thereinin any suitable way, as by using furniture 2, although if desired a proof may be secured without the use of a chase. This is frequently done in printing oflices by merely tying the types constituting the form together with twine or other suitable binding as they rest on the stone. The form of bars in the chase is indicated by the reference numeral 3. A proof impression is taken therefrom in any suitable manner, and in Fig. 2 of the drawings the chase 1 with its form of line bars 3 is shown as being carried upon a suitable support or table 4: and after the types have been inked (which step is not shown), a sheet of paper, or other suitable material 5, is pressed upon the faces of the types in any manner, as by a hand roller 6. In Fig. 3 of the drawings the sheet is shown with a proof impression thereon.

The invention contemplates making all changes, revisions, substitutions, additions, subtractions, or other changes, together with arrangements, or rearrangements, necessary or desirable in order to place the matter in the desired final form. For the sake of simplicity in illustration, the change desired to be made is shown as a typographic change, involving the correction of an error, indicated upon the proof sheet 5 by the reference numeral 7, the proof readers correction thereof being indicated upon the margin of the proof sheet by a suitable mark 8. In a change of the kind illustrated, with individual type, it will only be necessary that the individual type be picked out and the proper one substituted, or two types transposed, or otherwise, as the case might be. With line bars, however, it would be necessary to recompo se and recast the entire bar and the corrected bar would then be substituted for the incorrect one in the form of bars 3. In Fig. 4: of the drawings the corrected form of bars is shown as being carried in a magazine or galley 9. The composed matter is then in its desired final form and it is only necessary that it be transferred in such form to the final printing plate as to secure a printing plate of excellent quality. The invention contemplates doing this by impressing the lines of the composed matter a line at a time upon an impression-receiving surface generally suitable for producing a printing surface or printing plate. In accordance with certain features of the invention, it is fur ther contemplated to cause the line-at-a-time impression by means capable of affording a yielding action for the entire line bar during impression, so that when a given pres sure is exceeded the entire line bar will yield, thereby avoiding too heavy an impression, or should the pressure be exceeded at one end of the bar and not at the other, avoiding an unequal impression for various parts of the line. In this case the bar, or its support, will yield at one end while maintaining the pressure at the other end in order to secure a uniform impression. In the machine illustrated in my said prior application of which this is a division, the platen behind the impression-receiving surface is shown as having a yielding act-ion, the said platen being mounted to give such an action. The invention, in accordance with certain of its features, further contemplates the moving of the impression-receiving material so as to receive the impressions of succeeding lines in column alinement or otherwise so as to secure the desired arrangement of the matter which is wanted for the final form of the matter before preparing the printing plate. This, so far as the method is concerned, may be done in any suitable or convenient manner.

In the illustrated manner of carrying outthe steps of the invention it is shown as applied to the preparation or securing of a planographic printing surface. In Fig. 5 of the drawings the mechanism for carrying out one of the next succeeding steps of the invention is provided, the mechanism, simply as such, forming no part of the invention. The said mechanism is shown in the form of a platen press 10 being provided with means, indicated by the reference numeral. 11, for receiving one of the line bars 8. The line bar is shown in said Fig. 5 as being inked by a hand roller 12. In the said figure the support 11 for the line bar 8 is shown as being yieldingly mounted, be ing slidable upon the adjacent supporting portion of the press 10 and being held to position by springs 11 having screw adjustments 13 for the purpose of giving uniform impression to all parts of a line and to successive lines, as hcreinbefore indicated. The impression-receiving material is shown as being supported by a platen 14, and is itself indicated by the reference numeral 15. The said material is shown also as being mounted to have a line-feed motion so as to receive successive impressions in column alinement. For this purpose the platen 14: is shown equipped with sprocket rolls or wheels 16 which cooperate with holes 17 in the sheet 15 to give it a positive feed. Suit able means for giving the line-feed movement are provided, shown as a line-spacing mechanism 18. A handle 19 is provided for bringing the impression-receiving material and the line of types into impression contact as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. It will be understood, however, that the handling of the impression-receiving material may be manually effected if desired.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings the impressionreceiving material 15, which in certain asspects of the invention may be a transfer sheet, is shown having the composed matter in the desired final form thereon.

In S of the drawings a plate adapted to be prepared for printing planographically, such as a zinc, aluminum, or other suitable plate, is shown, the transfer sheet 15 being also shown in contact therewith, and pressure being applied by suitable means, such as a hand roller 21. This step, however, may be carried out, if desired, bymeans of the lithographic transfer press operating with a scraper.

In Fig. 9 of the drawings the plate 20 is shown, ink being applied thereto by an ink ing roller 22.

Certain well-known steps are usually employed in preparing the surface of the plate for printing planographically, in addition to those illustrated, it being usual, while the transfer sheet and the zinc or aluminum plate are pressed into close contact, to saturate the sheet with water. The porous paper conveys the water to the soluble coating on the face of the sheet upon which the typographic characters are carried. The said coating dissolving away leaves the characters adherent upon the metal plate. It will be also understood that the metal plate is generally first grained as a preparation to receiving the transfer impression from the transfer sheet. It is customary after the transfer operation is completed to apply an acid gum solution to the surface of the plate, which solution covers the plate in all parts of its surface except that occupied by the greasy design transferred to said surface from the transfer sheet. The generally accepted theory is that this acid gum solution saturates the plate thoroughly from the start with moisture, sticks to the plate without danger of coming off, and protects the plate from the action of the atmosphere, and destroys any slight greasy tendencies, both of which last would create more or less of a tint upon the plate. In Fig. 10 of the drawings the taking of a print upon a suitable surface, such as a sheet of paper 23, is shown, the medium through which pressure is applied in this case being shown as a hand roller 24. In Fig". 11 the sheet 22 is shown with an impression thereon from the printing plate 20.

The invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the particular manner of carrying out the steps of the process,nor to any particular manner of carrying out said steps, as various changes may be made in the manner of carrying out such steps without departing from the principles of the invention or the spirit thereof.

WVhat I claim as my invention, sire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The process of producing a printing surface or form which comprises assembling relief type units into a temporary form, making such changes in the said form as are found desirable in order to bring the matter into the desired final form, and then making impressions from the said type units a line at a time upon an impression-receiving surface and preparing therefrom a printing surface.

2. The process of producing a printing surface or form which comprises assembling relief type units into a temporary form, making such changes in the said form as are found desirable in order to bring the matter into the desired final form, then making impressions from the said type units a line at a time upon an impression-receiving surface, and then making a final printing surface from the said impression-receiving surface.

3. The process of producing a printing surface or form which comprises assembling relief type units into a temporary form, making such changes in the said form as are found desirable in order to bring the matter into the desired final form, then making impressions from the said type units a line at a time upon an impression-receiving surface, transferring the composed matter from said impression-receiving surface to a surface adapted to be prepared for printing planographically, and then preparing said last-named surface for printing planographically. v

4:. The process of producing a printing surface or form which comprises assembling relief type units into a temporary form, taking a proof impression therefrom, making such changes in the said form as are found desirable in order to bring the matter into the desired final form, and then making impressions from the said type units a line at a time upon an impression-receiving surface.

5. The process of producing a printing and de surface or form which comprises assembling relief type units into a temporary form, taking a proof impression therefrom, making such changes in the said form as are found desirable in order to bring the matter into the desired final form, then making impressions from the said type units a line at a time upon an impression-receiving surface, and then making a final printing surface from the said impression-receiving surface.

6. The process of producing a printing surface or form which comprises assembling relief type units into a temporary form, taking a proof impression therefrom, making such changes in the said form as are found desirable in order to bring the matter into the desired final form, then making impressions from the said type units a line at a time upon an impression-receiving surface, transferring the composed matter from said impression-receiving surface to a surface adapted to be prepared for printing planographically, and then preparing said lastnamed surface for printing planographically.

7. The process of producing a printing surface or form which comprises assembling relief type units into a temporary form, taking a proof impression therefrom, making such changes in the said form as are found desirable in order to bring the matter into the desired final form, then making impressions from the said type units a line at a time upon a transfer sheet, transferring the matter from the said transfer sheet to a plate adapted to be prepared to print planographically, and then preparing the said plate for printing planographically.

8. The process of producing a planograph printing plate which comprises composing lines of type, assembling said composed lines of type, taking impressions therefrom, and impressing said lines successively upon an impression receiving surface and making a printing plate therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUSTE L. SALTZMAN.

Witnesses JOHN D. MORGAN, CLARA PHILLIrs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

